Impression or imitation stitch machine.



L. A. CASGRAIN. IMPRESSION 0R IMITATION STITCH MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR.19, 1909.

1,109,199, Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. u. c

to produce UNITED STA ES PATENT orn on.

LOUIS A. CASGRAIN, or BEVERLY, ivrnssnoriosnrrs, ASSIGNOR To UNITED srron MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY,

JERSEY.

Application filed. March 19, 1909. Serialfl'o. 484,529.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS A. CASGRAIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Impression or ImitationStitch Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to impression or imitation stitch machines which are used in the manufacture of boots and shoes ornamental impressions upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of the sole.

The invention is designed primarily as an improvement in impression or imitation stitch machines provided with an indenting wheel having teeth shaped and spaced to produce the desired form of indentation. Except as defined in the claims, however, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to use in any particular type of impression or imitation stitch machine or to any particular of parts.

In impression or imitation stitch machines, and particularly machines of, that type which comprise a toothed indenting wheel, it is desirable that means be provided for rotating the work support so as to feed or assist in feeding the work. It is also desirable to have the work support so mounted that it will shift automatically to adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement and always present a bearing surface for the sole properly positio-ned to effectively sustain and resist the thrust exerted upon the sole by the indenting tool. By mounting the work support in this manner the sole is always supported in such relation to the indenting tool that the tool will act in the desired manner on the upper surface of the sole edge and will not tend to bend the marginal portion of the sole away from the upper so as to distort the sole and injure the appearance of the boot or shoe.

The object of the present invention is to provide an impression or imitation stitch machine with a work support embodying both of these desirable features of construction whereby the work support can be'ro-' construction or arrangement Specification of Letters Patent.

A. CORIEORATTON OF NEW IMPRESSION OR IMITATION STITClI-I MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

tated to feed or assistin feeding the work and at the same time can automatically shift to cause the work supporting surface of the work support to adapt itself to that portion of the shoe sole with which it is in engagement With the'above object in view the present invention contemplates the provision in an impression or imitation stitch machine of a.

rotatable work support arranged to engage the tread surface of the sole of a shoe of means for rotating the support to feed or assist in feeding the work and of means for supporting the work support against the thrust of'the indenting tool while permittingit'to move under the force of the tool on the work to automatically adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement. In accordance with the invention broadly considered the work support may be of any desiredconstruction and may be rotated and supported in any desired manner so long as itis arranged to shift automatically under the force exerted by the tool on the work. It is preferred, however, to use a support having a frusto-conical work engaging surfacesince this form of work support is best adapted to act on the marginal portion of the tread surface of a shoe sole, for reasons well understood by those skilled in-the art. It is also preferred to support the work support on an axis in line with the feed of the work and in the line of the thrust exerted upon the sole by the indenting, tool as thereby the support.

can be automatically shifted by the thrust of the'tool on the work without liability of distorting the sole. In the construction hereinafter specifically described, which construction embodies the present invention in the best form iwhichzhas yet been devised, the work support is mounted in a bracket or holder and adjustable stops are provided for limiting the extent of the shifting movements which can be imparted to the holder and the work support mounted therein. Also a spring is applied to the holder which tends to maintain the work support in a certain These features of predetermined position. construction constltutexfeatures of the present invention, the advantages of which will be clearly understood from the following description of the preferred form of the invention. I

1 Referring to thedrawing Figure 1 is a;

view in side elevation partly in section of the upper part of an impression 0r imita: tion stitch machine embodying the several features of the present invention in their preferred form. Fig.2 is a detail sectional plan view taken on a line passing just above V the work support and Fig. 3 is a detail view in front elevation of the work support, its holder and the arm in which the holder is mounted.

Referring to the drawing, the indenting tool is indicated at 1 and consists of atoothed wheel frusto-conical in shape as is usual in impression or imitation stitch machines provided with a toothed wheel. 7 This wheel is mounted to rotate freely upon a stud 2 secured by means of a split clamp in the lower end of a reciprocating slide or tool carrier 3. This slide is acted upon by a hammer mechanism which causes the indenting wheel to strike a series of blows in rapid succession upon the work. This hammer mechanism is similar to that disclosed in applicants prior Patent No. 768,560, dated August 23, 1904, and consists of a series of cylindrical rolls 4 mounted in a carrier 5 secured to the forward end of a rotating shaft 6 which is driven by a belt passing over fast and loose pulleys 7 and 8 on the rear end of the shaft. The shaft 6 is provided with a worm 9 as in the machine of applicants prior patent, which worm meshes with a gear on the upper end of a vertical shaft 10. The lower end of the shaft 10 carries a pinion which meshes with a pinion 11 upon a short vertical shaft 12, the construction and arrangement of the gears and shafts being substantially the same as in applicants prior patent.

A guard plate 13 extends across the front end of the indenting wheel and is carried by two arms pivotally mounted upon the frame of the machine. This guard plate holds the shoe upper out of contact with the end of the indenting wheel so that the wheel does not exert a rubbing action upon the shoe upper during its vertical movements. A gas pipe, secured to the frame of the machine, projects into a position to direct a flame against the lower end of the tool carrier so as to heat the indenting wheel.

The work support of the machine is inclicated at 15 and in accordance with the present invention this work support is so mounted in the machine that it can be rotated to feed the work and at the same time can shift automatically under the force exerted by the tool on the work to cause the sole gage to be supported in the proper position with relation to the indenting tool. As illustrated, the work support is a disk having its upperface slightly beveled to form a frusto-conical work engaging surface. This disk is provided at its edge with gear teeth 16 which mesh with a gear wheel 17 upon the lower end of the shaft 12 so that during the operation .of the machine a constant. movement of rotation is imparted to the work support in a direction tending to feed the shoe past the indenting wheel.

The means for supporting the work support in the. machine comprise a bracket or holder 18 provided with a recess at its upper end to receive the work support. The rim of this recess surrounds the gear teeth 16 of the work therefor but is interrupted at the rear of the work support to permit the engagement of the gear teeth 16 with the gear 17. The work support is supported in the bracket or holder'18 by means of a rib 19 engaging the lower surface of the work supportv near its outer edge and by means of a bearing which receives a cylindrical stud 20 projecting downwardly from the disk portion of the work support. The bracket or holder 18 is supported in the forward end of a pivotally mounted arm 21 and to enable the work support to shift automatically under the force exerted by the tool on the work the bracket or holder is supported on the arm by means of semi-cylindrical projections or hearing pieces 22 which are received in correspondingly shaped recesses 23 in the upper side of the front end of the arm. The recesses 23 are located beneath the indenting wheel directly in the line of the thrust exerted by the wheel on the work and are so arranged that the axis about which the bracket or holder 18 moves extends in the same direction as the feed or in the line of feed. The holder can thus be readily moved by the force exerted by the tool on the work and the movements of the work support will not interfere with the proper operation of the gears 16 and 17. The front end of the arm 21 is forked and the portion of the bracket or holder 18 which receives the stud 20 of the. work support fits closely between the sides of the forked portion of the arm 21, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3 so that the bracket or holder is accurately guided during its tipping movements and is securely held against displacement other than that produced by the movement of the holder about the axis of the projections 22 and recesses 23. To limit the inward or backward movement of the work support an adjustable stop screw 24 is provided which is arranged to engage the lower end of the bearing portion for the stud 20. This stop screw is screw-threaded into a block 25 which is firmly clamped in position between the sides of the forked portion of the arm 21. The outward and forward movement of the work support is limited by an adjustable stop screw 26 also having a screw threaded engagement with the block 25. The work support is acted upon by a coiled spring 27 which is secured at one end to an arm 28 support and forms a guard projecting from the rear portion of the bracket or holder 18 and at the other end to a rearward projection from the block 25. This spring tends to maintain the work support at the limit of its inward movement as determined by the stop 24. The spring 27 acts to balance the weight of the work support and its holder so that the work support can be readily tipped to adapt itself to the portion of the sole with which it is in engagement by the pressure ordinarily used in this class of machines to force the indenting wheel into the work. The initial angular position of the work support is determined by the spring 27 and the stop 9.4,and consequently the tipping movement of the work support from this position to accommodate soles of difierent curvatures is an outward tipping movement which is produced by the pressure exerted upon the work by the outer end of the tool. As a consequence, the work support is tipped by the pressure exerted 011 the work by the tool without forcing the marginal portion of the sole away from the upper. By adjusting the stop the work support can be initially adjusted for operation on any particular style of shoe.

To assist the operator in guiding a shoe while it is being fed through the machine an edge guide 29 is provided extending in front of and partially around the gear 17 and adjustably secured to cars projecting rearwardly from the bracket or holder 18.

The nature and scope of the present invention having been indicated and a machine embodying the preferred form of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed is:-

1. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, a rotatable work support arranged to engage the tread surface of the sole, means for 'supporting the work support against the thrust of the tool arranged to permit the work support to tip under the force exerted by the tool on the work to automatically adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement, and means for rotating the work support.

2. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting wheel arranged to act upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, means for causing the wheel to strike series of blows in rapid succession upon the work, a rotatable work support arranged to engage the tread surface of the sole, means for supporting the work support against the thrust of the tool arranged to permit the work support to tip under the force exerted by the tool on the work to automatically adapt itself to the portion of the sole with which it is in engagement and means for rotating the work support.

3. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, a rotatable work support arranged to engage the tread surface of a shoe sole, a support for the work support arranged to move under the force exerted by the tool on the work about an axis located in the line of the thrust exerted upon the work by the tool to automatically adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement and, means for rotating the work support.

t. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of the pro ecting edge of a shoe sole,

a rotatable work support arranged to en gage the tread surface of the sole and mounted to move under the force exerted by the tool on the work about an axis extending in the direction of the line of feed to automatically adapt itself to that portion of .the sole with which it is in engagement, and means for rotating the work support.

5. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of theprojecting edge of a shoe sole, a work support arranged to engage the tread surface of the sole, means for supporting the work support against the thrust of the tool arranged to permit the work support to move under the force exerted by the tool on the work to automatically adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement, and means for adjusting the initial angular position of the work support.

6. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, a work support arranged to engage the tread surface of the sole, means for supporting the work support against the thrust of the tool arranged to permit the work support to move under the force exerted by the tool on the work to automatically adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement, a spring to hold the work support initially in predetermined angular position, and an adjustable stop to adjust the initial angular position of the work support.

7. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, a work support arranged to engage the tread surface of the sole, and mounted to move under the force exerted by the tool on the work about an axis extending in the direction of the line of feed to automatically adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement, and adjustable stops to limit the angular movements of the work support.

8. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, a rotatable disk having one face arranged to engage and support the tread surface of the sole, and a holder for the disk mounted to move under the force exerted by the tool on the work about an axis in line with the thrust of the tool on the work and extending in the direction of the line of feed to .permit the disk to automatically adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement.

9. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, a rotatable disk having one face arranged to engage and support the tread surface of the sole, a holder for the disk mounted to move under the force exerted by the tool on the work about an axis in line with the thrust of the tool on the work and extending in the direction of the line of feed to permit the disk to automatically adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement and means for rotating the disk.

10. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting -tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, a rotatable work supporting disk having one face arranged. to engage the tread surface of a shoe sole, and a support for the disk "mounted to tip under the force exerted by the tool on the work to permit the disk to automatically adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement.

11. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, a rotatable work supporting disk having one face arranged to engage the tread surface of a shoe sole, a support for the disk mounted to tip under the force exerted by the tool on the work to permit the disk to automatically adapt itself to that port-ion of the sole with which it is in engagement, and means for rotating the disk.

12. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act upon the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, a work support arranged to engage the tread surface of the sole, means for supporting the work support against the thrust of the tool arranged to permit the work support to tip under the force exerted by the tool on the work to automatically adapt itself to thatportion of the sole with which it is in engagement, and a spring to hold the work support initially in predetermined angular position.

13. An impression or imitation stitch machine, having, in combination, an indenting tool arranged to act on the upper surface of the projecting edge of a shoe sole, a work support to engage the tread surface of the sole arranged to tip under the force exerted by the tool on the work to automatically adapt itself to that portion of the sole with which it is in engagement, and means for initially holding the work support in such angular position that an outward tipping movement is imparted to the work support by the pressure of the outer end of the indenting tool againstthe Work.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature,

in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS A. GASGRAIN. Witnesses:

FRED O. FIsH, MARGARET L. GILMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). 0. 

